Étienne de La Vallée Poussin
Encyclopedia
Étienne de La Vallée Poussin (certains biographies say Delavallée-Poussin.(1735–1802), was a French history
painter
and creator of interior decorative schemes.
, La Vallée-Poussin was born in Rouen
, where he attended the école des Beaux-Arts, under Descamps
, and made rapid progress in his studies. After having been one of the top laureates of the school three times, he went to Paris to perfect his art. Welcomed into the workshop of Jean-Baptiste Marie Pierre, the royal painter, he won the 1757 prix de Rome
and set off for Italy
.
La Vallée-Poussin spent many years in Rome, where he was admitted to the Maltese order
with the rank of "Cavalier Donato" (i.e. not of noble lineage, but given for services rendered to the order) and where he became a member of the Academy of Arcadia
. On his return to France, he was in 1789 admitted to the Académie de Peinture, with a tableau de réception
entitled Return of the young Tobias and his meeting his mother and father. He died in Paris
.
History painting
History painting is a genre in painting defined by subject matter rather than an artistic style, depicting a moment in a narrative story, rather than a static subject such as a portrait...
painter
Painting
Painting is the practice of applying paint, pigment, color or other medium to a surface . The application of the medium is commonly applied to the base with a brush but other objects can be used. In art, the term painting describes both the act and the result of the action. However, painting is...
and creator of interior decorative schemes.
Life
Related on his mother's side to the family of the great painter Nicolas PoussinNicolas Poussin
Nicolas Poussin was a French painter in the classical style. His work predominantly features clarity, logic, and order, and favors line over color. His work serves as an alternative to the dominant Baroque style of the 17th century...
, La Vallée-Poussin was born in Rouen
Rouen
Rouen , in northern France on the River Seine, is the capital of the Haute-Normandie region and the historic capital city of Normandy. Once one of the largest and most prosperous cities of medieval Europe , it was the seat of the Exchequer of Normandy in the Middle Ages...
, where he attended the école des Beaux-Arts, under Descamps
Jean-Baptiste Descamps
Jean-Baptiste Descamps was a French writer and painter of village scenes.Descamps was born in Dunkirk, but lived principally at Paris, till an accidental circumstance fixed him at Rouen, in 1740...
, and made rapid progress in his studies. After having been one of the top laureates of the school three times, he went to Paris to perfect his art. Welcomed into the workshop of Jean-Baptiste Marie Pierre, the royal painter, he won the 1757 prix de Rome
Prix de Rome
The Prix de Rome was a scholarship for arts students, principally of painting, sculpture, and architecture. It was created, initially for painters and sculptors, in 1663 in France during the reign of Louis XIV. It was an annual bursary for promising artists having proved their talents by...
and set off for Italy
Italy
Italy , officially the Italian Republic languages]] under the European Charter for Regional or Minority Languages. In each of these, Italy's official name is as follows:;;;;;;;;), is a unitary parliamentary republic in South-Central Europe. To the north it borders France, Switzerland, Austria and...
.
La Vallée-Poussin spent many years in Rome, where he was admitted to the Maltese order
Knights Hospitaller
The Sovereign Military Hospitaller Order of Saint John of Jerusalem of Rhodes and of Malta , also known as the Sovereign Military Order of Malta , Order of Malta or Knights of Malta, is a Roman Catholic lay religious order, traditionally of military, chivalrous, noble nature. It is the world's...
with the rank of "Cavalier Donato" (i.e. not of noble lineage, but given for services rendered to the order) and where he became a member of the Academy of Arcadia
Academy of Arcadia
The Academy of Arcadia or Academy of Arcadians was an Italian literary academy founded in Rome in 1690.-History:...
. On his return to France, he was in 1789 admitted to the Académie de Peinture, with a tableau de réception
Diploma Work
To become a full member, some artistic academies formally require an artist to produce a work of art representative of their œuvre, which the academy will then keep...
entitled Return of the young Tobias and his meeting his mother and father. He died in Paris
Paris
Paris is the capital and largest city in France, situated on the river Seine, in northern France, at the heart of the Île-de-France region...
.
Paintings
- The Miracle of the prophet Elijah in multiplying the oil for the poor widow, Musée des beaux-arts de Rouen - this is the painting with which he won his Grand Prix
- Portrait of Benedict XIV, Musée des beaux-arts de Rouen
- The birth of Jesus Christ and Adoration of the Shepherds (two massive canvases)
Books
- The work entitled Nella venuta in Roma (The Arrival in Rome), published in a quarto volume in 1764, contained various figures by La Vallée-Poussin.
- Another publication, by Alexandre Lenoir, contains forty plates of arabesqueArabesqueThe arabesque is a form of artistic decoration consisting of "surface decorations based on rhythmic linear patterns of scrolling and interlacing foliage, tendrils" or plain lines, often combined with other elements...
s for interior decoration, of the type at which La Vallée-Poussin excelled. "The drawings of this painter of Rouen", writes Chennevières, "are greatly beautiful in character, full of feeling and render themselves truly worthy of the proud name which they bear."
Drawings
- Prayer : women and children kneeling or sitting in church, Musée du Louvre
- Monks distributing soup to the poor, Musée du Louvre